This invention relates to processes to configure and manage networks.
Corporations and businesses are increasingly built around networks intensifying the importance of network reliability, predictability and performance. The network has become a mission critical component of business which has increased expectations for network solutions. Worldwide connectivity is not enough; users are demanding network services-creative, solution-oriented approaches that combine connectivity with flexible, dynamic networking options.
Presently a customer and a service provider can view setting up of common services with different points-of-view. The e.g., an enterprise customer may be concerned with time to establish a service and ensuring that a committed service level is actually received. Since the enterprise customer depends on the network, anything less than instantaneous attention to network failure might be considered unacceptable. The service provider is concerned with keeping up with the volume of service requests. Providers must efficiently deliver services and offer new competitive services while ensuring quality delivery and accurate billing at a manageable, reduced cost.
The infrastructure in place to satisfy service requests of today is largely manual. The workflow necessary to turn a service request into service delivery typically passes through many different people via faxes, e-mail, and paper memos and so forth. Manual processes are error-prone and include many delays that lengthen service delivery.
There are custom scripts, spreadsheets for billing, and isolated applications for diagnosing problems. Most of these tools do not share data and often duplicate data. Providing customers with reports of their network use is difficult since these reports tend to span data from many tools.
According to an aspect of the invention, a computer implemented method for managing network service includes receiving, from a subscriber, a request for a selected network service and determining from the request for a selected service configuration characteristics for resources. The method also includes configuring the resources with configuration characteristics to provide the selected service and monitoring the service provided.
According to an additional aspect of the invention, a system includes a policy enabled network server that can decompose a request for a level of service for the network and produce a template that defines the service and a service provisioning process to produce a network configuration from the template that defines the service. The system also includes an accounting process that monitors the level of service and produces network accounting records.
One or more of the following advantages may be provided by one or more aspects of the invention.
The invention addresses network growth by simplifying management, managing the network as a system and providing service-level management. The invention is not limited to management of an particular service. Rather the invention provides an integrated management solution for new services (and yet-to-be-defined services). Networks are not viewed a collection of largely static protocols. Rather, networks are dynamic, constantly adapting systems that require extensible, simplifying management solutions. These features address the integration of network services providing xe2x80x9cIP-optimized networksxe2x80x9d necessary to satisfy demands for networking.
The invention addresses these deficiencies by providing an automated, integrated system that is targeted at covering the entire life cycle for creating, delivering, and billing services. When workflows are integrated, they are faster and less error-prone. In fact, automated workflows provides a new level of service-services that can dynamically change, perhaps directly changed by the end customer via a customer network management interface into the service management system. Since services are integrated, data is easily shared across all processes that are part of the service life cycle.